Where to get foam for plugs?

nickmatic

nickmatic

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Nickmatic
I have a nice pair of cowl plugs but there are a few other small holes that I don't plug and need to. The ramp where I park now is notorious for birds and I've pulled a couple nests out now. Those suckers work fast!

I'd like to get some foam and cut it to pieces that I can just smoosh in there. What kind of foam can I get and where can I get it?

Thanks!
 
Go find an old couch,,,, Get the foam out of the seat cushions, grap a electric carving knife like you use for the Thanksgiving turkey... Shape the foam..... Sew up some quick covers....

Easy Pleasy...
 
N801BH said:
Go find an old couch,,,, Get the foam out of the seat cushions, grap a electric carving knife like you use for the Thanksgiving turkey... Shape the foam..... Sew up some quick covers....

Easy Pleasy...
Click to expand...

Nice one, thanks! I'd definitely prefer to do it myself but I'm not sure I can find an old couch.
 
When I was outside...

For miscellaneous small holes, I'd use armaflex pipe insulation, with orange or red surveyor's flagging run through it and hanging out each end about 12", fold insulation in half and stuff in the hole.

Diameter of insulation dependant on size of hole. 1" inside, 2" outside seemed pretty versatile.

The good rubberized stuff sold at "real" plumbing contractors' supply houses is far more durable than the cheap foam junk sold at big box lumberyards.
 
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nickmatic said:
Nice one, thanks! I'd definitely prefer to do it myself but I'm not sure I can find an old couch.
Click to expand...

Go buy a foam pillow and cut it up or call an upholstery shop and get some scrap foam. Alternately, look for foam cushions or upholstery foam on Ebay.
 
Pipe insulation sold at a home improvement store. It is a black foam tube.

Another possibility for smaller openings - foam earplugs. That stuff compresses into a tiny volume and then expands.
 
Great tips, thanks. Pipe insulation sounds good. One of the holes is around the exhaust. Might be the most likely to not melt...
 
nickmatic said:
Great tips, thanks. Pipe insulation sounds good. One of the holes is around the exhaust. Might be the most likely to not melt...
Click to expand...

I worried about my canopy cover strap beside the exhaust. So I touched it once (last June here in Alabama), and it was cold. Right after a 3+ hr XC, taxi to the ramp and exit with one bag. Cold exhaust pipe.

Check local thrift stores for upholstered chairs. Craigslist. College graduation is coming up, apartments around here put out special "furniture" dumpsters. Lots of inexpensive options.

Happy plug making!
 
nickmatic said:
Nice one, thanks! I'd definitely prefer to do it myself but I'm not sure I can find an old couch.
Click to expand...
Check the "free" section of Craigslist. There's always someone giving away a sofa or chair.
 
Hank S said:
I worried about my canopy cover strap beside the exhaust. So I touched it once (last June here in Alabama), and it was cold. Right after a 3+ hr XC, taxi to the ramp and exit with one bag. Cold exhaust pipe.

Check local thrift stores for upholstered chairs. Craigslist. College graduation is coming up, apartments around here put out special "furniture" dumpsters. Lots of inexpensive options.

Happy plug making!
Click to expand...

Hmm, turbocharged engine here... I'll try it but I have my doubts :) Thanks for the tips!
 
I use gator skin balls (on Amazon) but my cowl holes are round. They come in red. Saved me a couple hunned.
 
I had the same problem with my 172. I found car wash sponges work great.
 
Find a fabric store. The foam you're looking for is Air-Light Polyurethane (White) or Airtex Heavy Duty (Green) foam and comes in everything from 1/4" to 12" thickness. usually in 4' blocks or strips. Works great, sturdy, and can double as a cleaning squeegee!

You can also take some small pillow cases from Walmart, fill them with packing peanuts to the desired size, and rubber band the end. Fit to order.
 
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nickmatic said:
Hmm, turbocharged engine here... I'll try it but I have my doubts :) Thanks for the tips!
Click to expand...

You run TIT around 1600-1650? I run EGT around 1450, but now after fixing some induction leaks it's up around 1500. Any idea what your temps are after the turbo?

Try touching your exhaust pipe when you shut down. If it worries you, approach slowly and touch quickly. Should be pretty cool. Mine is down to ambient by the time I write down my times, remove headset, climb out, fetch bag from the back and get the canopy cover out of the bag. three minutes? four?
 
Hank S said:
You run TIT around 1600-1650? I run EGT around 1450, but now after fixing some induction leaks it's up around 1500. Any idea what your temps are after the turbo?

Try touching your exhaust pipe when you shut down. If it worries you, approach slowly and touch quickly. Should be pretty cool. Mine is down to ambient by the time I write down my times, remove headset, climb out, fetch bag from the back and get the canopy cover out of the bag. three minutes? four?
Click to expand...

Yeah I run TIT at around 1600. I'll check next time I fly. I bet it does cool down fast.
 
I cut my cowl plugs from a peice of foam I got from the IT guys. They always have foam when the new computers come in.
 
Made my last set of cowl plugs out of a $5 Walmart life vest.

The perfect foam is inside.

A few minutes to cut it to shape, then took it home for my lovely wife to re-sew the orange cover fabric over the foam for a nice looking plug set. Bonus points for using the strap and buckle that is already on the vest.

Waterproof, and UV resistant, too. ;)

Near-Shore-Life-Vest1.jpg
 
ElPaso Pilot said:
Made my last set of cowl plugs out of a $5 Walmart life vest.

The perfect foam is inside.

A few minutes to cut it to shape, then took it home for my lovely wife to re-sew the orange cover fabric over the foam for a nice looking plug set. Bonus points for using the strap and buckle that is already on the vest.

Waterproof, and UV resistant, too. ;)

Near-Shore-Life-Vest1.jpg
Click to expand...

:needpics: Of your custom made cowl plugs...:yesnod::D
 
N801BH said:
:needpics: Of your custom made cowl plugs...:yesnod::D
Click to expand...


Not at the airport, or I would. :(

Just about like this, but without the embroidery. You can almost see the Walmart life vest in this pic if you look hard enough. :yes:

cowlnew.gif
 
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